HEADLINES

Jude McAtamney

Giants Place K Greg Joseph On IR, Elevate Irish Gaelic Footballer

November 2nd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants were forced to scramble early in the season when kicker Graham Gano went down with a groin injury in Week 2. Now, as Gano’s replacement Greg Joseph deals with an abdominal injury, New York will get creative once again. Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Joseph’s injury will land him on injured reserve, and the team will utilize a standard gameday practice squad elevation on kicker Jude McAtamney to replace him this weekend.

In the aftermath of the Gano injury, Joseph was signed off of the Lions’ practice squad. The Giants had auditioned a number of free agent kickers but opted instead for Joseph, who was waiting in the wings behind UFL star Jake Bates. Joseph has been admirable in replacement duty, converting 13 of his 16 field goal attempts, with all three misses coming from beyond 40 yards. He also assisted an uninspiring offense, converting all six of the extra points he was asked to kick.

New York had ruled out Joseph for tomorrow’s game with the injury to his abdomen already, but placing him on IR means that he’ll miss at least three additional contests. The Giants are not going external once again to fill their newly vacant kicker position, instead choosing to elevate the practice squad kicker McAtamney. He seemingly was not prepared to step up in Week 3, but the Giants will trust him to debut in the NFL tomorrow.

McAtamney is a former Gaelic football player from North Ireland. After gaining an interest in American football, McAtamney trained with ProKick Australia and moved to America to play at Chowan University and Rutgers. He made 12 of 18 field goal attempts for the Scarlet Knights with a long of 49 yards and converted 23 of 24 extra points. As a native Irishman, McAtamney qualified for the NFL’s international roster exemption, allowing him to be on the Giants’ practice squad without counting towards the 16-man limit.

Joining McAtamney from the practice squad tomorrow will be outside linebacker Tomon Fox, who is not being elevated but signed to the active roster to fill the roster spot vacated by Joseph. Filling Fox’s spot on the practice squad is versatile fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson, who rejoins the team after being released on Wednesday.

Giants Place Isaiah McKenzie On IR, Move Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Giants moved down to the 53-man limit today:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on season-ending IR:

Placed on IR/return:

Just as the NFL greenlit a full-on kickoff revamp, McKenzie is out of the picture in New York. Signing with the Giants this year and completing a reunion with ex-Bills staffers Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, McKenzie has been a return man and slot receiver for seven seasons. This transaction, unlike the Adams designation, will knock the 5-foot-7 cog out for the year. McKenzie only received $75K guaranteed.

McKenzie joins Hodgins among the players not currently in the mix for the team. The Giants received good value from the former waiver claim, who was a Bills teammate of McKenzie’s under Daboll earlier his career. They brought him back after non-tendering him as an RFA in March, and he and Robinson were battling for back-end receiver jobs. The Giants kept Bryce Ford-Wheaton, a 2023 UDFA, over Hodgins. Considering Hodgins’ past with Daboll, it would not surprise to see New York circle back with a potential practice squad invite. Though, the fifth-year veteran might have other options.

Beavers was viewed as a potential inside linebacker starter in 2023, but Micah McFadden ended up beating out the former sixth-round pick. Beavers played in only two games last season. Cager also was considered a contender to be one of the Giants’ receiving tight ends, but the converted wideout fell short. Daniel Bellinger and fourth-round rookie Theo Johnson are leading the way post-Darren Waller.

Giants Add Eight UDFAs

May 10th, 2024 at 10:35am CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants exited the 2024 draft with six rookies, but the team has now added to that mix. Here are the undrafted free agents New York has signed:

Of the seven players players listed above, five received a six-figure guarantee from the Giants. The largest commitment was made to Kubas, whom Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports landed $270K. That figure consists of $240K in base salary in addition to a $30K signing bonus, a strong sign the team expects him to at least secure a practice squad spot in 2024.

Rogers landed $220K in guaranteed compensation, per Duggan. The 6-4, 300-pounder transferred from Nebraska to Oregon after the 2021 campaign. During his two seasons with the Ducks, Rogers totaled 56 tackles (including six for loss) and 1.5 sacks. Jiles received $100K in guarantees, Duggan adds. That represents a strong compensation package for the Division II product.

New York gave Marcellus Johnson a $150K guaranteed base salary along with a $20K signing bonus, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. Alex Johnson, meanwhile, secured $115K in total guarantees, per Wilson. The latter spent four seasons with the Bruins, and his ball production saw a notable increase last season. Johnson racked up the only five interceptions of his career in 2023, adding three pass deflections.

The Giants’ UDFA class also includes kicker Jude McAtamney, and he represents their international roster exemption. Each team is allowed one designated international player who can be retained without using a 90-man roster spot. McAtamney only attempted one kick last season, but in 2022 he went 12-for-18 on field goals while converting all but one of his 24 extra point attempts. He will look to earn a taxi squad spot as depth behind Graham Gano.